Moderators of short- and long-term outcomes in panic control treatment and panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to test the hypothesis that externalizing and internalizing helpfulness beliefs and learning styles at baseline moderate panic severity and overall mental illness as short-term and long-term outcomes of two panic-focused psychotherapies, Panic Control Treatment (PCT) and Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PFPP).

METHOD

Participants were 108 adults with DSM-IV Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia (PD/A) who were randomized to treatment in a trial of PCT and PFPP. Piece-wise/segmented multilevel modeling was used to test three-way interactions (Treatments × Moderator × Time), with participants and therapists as random factors. Outcome variables were clinician-rated panic severity and self-rated mental illness post-treatment and during follow-up.

RESULTS

Patients' externalizing (but not internalizing) helpfulness beliefs moderated mental illness outcomes during follow-up (but not during treatment); low levels of Externalization were facilitative for PFPP but not PCT. Internalizing and externalizing helpfulness beliefs and learning style did not moderate clinician-rated panic severity, whether short- or long-term.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that helpfulness beliefs and learning style have limited use in assignment to either PCT or PFPP for PD/A. Although further research is needed, low levels of helpfulness beliefs about externalizing coping may play a role in mental illness outcomes for PFPP.

Learning in the Metaverse: Are University Students Willing to Learn in Immersive Virtual Reality?

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology provides several educational affordances that make it a valuable tool for learning, especially from a constructivist learning perspective. Combined with the increasing availability of Metaverse social platforms, such as ENGAGE and AltSpace VR, where students and teachers can meet and work together, IVR may transform how students learn and interact with educational content. However, little is known about students' attitudes toward IVR in education. To address this gap, we surveyed 329 undergraduate students from different universities in Italy. We used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to predict students' intention to adopt IVR for learning. We further explored the role that different individual factors, including students' learning styles, affordances perceptions, and personal innovativeness, have on their attitudes toward IVR. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the four constructs of the UTAUT, namely performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions were the strongest predictors of students' intention to use IVR in education and that individual factors only had little impact on it. Based on these results, this study provides helpful indications for researchers and educators who wish to introduce IVR effectively in educational contexts. Given the new possibilities provided by Metaverse applications based on IVR technology for learning, it is indeed crucial to fully understand the attitudes different stakeholders in education have toward adopting this technology in educational contexts.

How people learn: insights for medical faculty

To increase medical students' and residents' understanding and retention, faculty need to teach from a knowledge standpoint and understanding of how individuals learn. We know from cognitive information processing that learners remember only a small portion of what they read or hear but remember up to 90% of information when strong active learning modalities are included. Faculty also need to be aware of different learning styles-kinesthetic, visual, and auditory-and ensure that they are including methods that can reach all learners. The cognitive and information processing theories of learning provide insights to educators related to building on prior knowledge from learning and limiting the number of points taught so learners can process and retain the information. Strategies such as a flipped classroom model and question clicker technology can assist in reaching learning goals. Fundamental conditions for learning include awareness, interest, motivation, relevance, engagement, reinforcement, and support.

A comparison of Generation Z and Millennial dental hygiene students' preferred learning styles

OBJECTIVES

Learning styles have been studied in dental and generational research, but research has been limited with Millennial and Generation Z dental hygiene students. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine if and to what extent there was a difference between Generation Z and Millennial dental hygiene students' preferred learning styles.

METHODS

First- and second-year dental hygiene students attending three programs located in Southern California were invited to participate in the study. Additional participants were recruited through dental hygiene social media sites. The 44 item Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was administered via an online survey platform. Millennial and Generation Z participants were compared on the four dimensions of the ILS: active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the independent samples t-test.

RESULTS

A total of 150 dental hygiene students agreed to participate; Millennials (n = 61), Generation Z (n = 89). There was no significant difference between Millennial and Generation Z students in the active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, or sequential/global dimensions (p > 0.05); both cohorts preferred the active, sensing, and sequential learning styles. There was a statistically significant difference in the visual/verbal dimension with Millennials indicating a significantly greater preference for the visual learning style than Generation Z (p = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

There may be differences between the learning styles of Millennial and Generation Z dental hygiene students. The finding that Generation Z students differ significantly from Millennials on the visual-verbal dimension may indicate a shift toward the verbal dimension learning style that needs further study.

The influence of learning styles on academic procrastination among students in mathematics

Introduction

Procrastination is a complex psychological and behavioral construct that is strongly influenced by certain personality traits. In mathematics learning, students find it difficult to master the concepts because of less exposure to learning styles. Poor knowledge of mathematical concepts leads to academic procrastination in the subject of Mathematics among students. Therefore, this study aims to identify students' learning styles in Mathematics, identify the stages of students' academic procrastination in Mathematics, and determine whether there is a significant influence of learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) on academic procrastination among secondary school students in Mathematics.

Methods

A quantitative approach with a survey was applied. A total of 500 Form Two and Form Four students in five national secondary schools in the Kota Bharu district, Kelantan, were selected using simple random sampling. The duration of data gathering started from 4 October 2022 until 31 January 2023. The Learning Styles Questionnaire and the Academic Procrastination Questionnaire were adapted and verified by eight experts in psychology and counseling. Descriptive and multiple regression tests were carried out using IBM SPSS version 26.0.

Results

The results revealed that the visual learning style was the most dominant learning style among students in the subject of Mathematics, followed by auditory and kinesthetic. The level of students' academic procrastination in Mathematics was low. Besides, multiple regression showed that visual and kinesthetic learning styles were significant contributors or predictors, which amounted to 14.1% of the variation in students' academic procrastination in Mathematics.

Discussion

The implications of this study highlight the possibility to improve programs in schools by exposing students to suitable learning styles so that they can practice effective learning styles in Mathematics and consequently overcome academic procrastination. Further research can be carried out by identifying other factors that encourage academic procrastination in the subject of Mathematics in order to increase students' motivation and self-efficacy.

A Comparison of Generation Z and Millennial Dental Hygiene Students' Preferred Learning Styles

Purpose Learning styles have been studied in dental and generational research, but research has been limited with Millennial and Generation Z dental hygiene students. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine if and to what extent there was a difference between Generation Z and Millennial dental hygiene students' preferred learning styles.Methods First- and second-year dental hygiene students attending three programs located in Southern California were invited to participate in the study. Additional participants were recruited through dental hygiene social media sites. The 44 item Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was administered via an online survey platform. Millennial and Generation Z participants were compared on the four dimensions of the ILS: active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the independent samples t-test.Results A total of 150 dental hygiene students agreed to participate; Millennials (n=61), Generation Z (n=89). There was no significant difference between Millennial and Generation Z students in the active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, or sequential/global dimensions (p>0.05); both cohorts preferred the active, sensing, and sequential learning styles. There was a statistically significant difference in the visual/verbal dimension with Millennials indicating a significantly greater preference for the visual learning style than Generation Z (p=0.04).Conclusion There may be differences between the learning styles of Millennial and Generation Z dental hygiene students. The finding that Generation Z students differ significantly from Millennials on the visual-verbal dimension may indicate a shift toward the verbal dimension learning style that needs further study.

Medical Faculty Perspectives Toward Cadaveric Dissection as a Learning Tool for Anatomy Education: A Survey Study in India

Cadaveric dissection, as a learning tool, has been a part of Indian medical education. Worldwide, with reforms in medical education and the introduction of new learning modalities, cadaveric dissection has been complemented with other modalities such as living anatomy and virtual anatomy. This study aims to collect the feedback of faculty members regarding the role of dissection in the present context of medical education. The method of the study involved a 32-item questionnaire to collect responses; they were collected using the 5-point Likert scale along with two open-ended questions. In general, the closed questions covered these sections: learning styles, interpersonal skills, teaching and learning, dissection, and other learning modes. The principal component analysis was used to explore the multivariate relationships among the items' perceptions. The multivariate regression analysis was conducted between the construct and the latent variable to develop the structural equation model. Four themes, PC1 (learning ability with structural orientation), PC2 (interpersonal skill), PC3 (multimedia-virtual tool), and PC5 (associated factors) had positive relation and were treated as a latent variable motivation for dissection, and theme 4 (PC4, safety) had a negative correlation and was treated as a latent variable repulsion for dissection. It was found that the dissection room is an important place for learning clinical and personal skills, along with empathy, in anatomy education. Safety issues and implementation of stress-coping activities during the induction phase are required. There is also a need to use mixed-method approaches that integrate technology-enhanced learning such as virtual anatomy, living anatomy, and radiological anatomy with cadaveric dissection.

The Relationship Among Students' Learning Styles, Health Sciences Colleges, and Grade Point Average (GPA)

INTRODUCTION

Learning styles are an increasingly important area in education, affecting different aspects of the learning arena. They can predict how students might process information and solve learning problems differently even when engaged in the same learning activities.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigated the relationship among health sciences students' learning styles, college majors, and grade point averages (GPAs). A total of 247 male students belonging to King Saud bin Abdulaziz University at Riyadh were chosen intentionally for this study, which employed a quantitative procedure for collecting and analysing data.

METHODS

The study used a survey research design, and data were obtained from the Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ), which the students had to answer online. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 16). Descriptive analysis methods - such as means, standard deviations, frequency counts, and correlations - were employed.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the students demonstrated a range of learning style preferences. The most frequently preferred style was the auditory learning style, followed by the kinaesthetic and individual learning styles. The least preferred style was group learning. The results also showed significant differences in the students' learning styles across colleges - with preferences towards the auditory, individual, and group learning styles - and insignificant differences for the visual preference, kinaesthetic, and tactile preference learning styles. Finally, the relationship between learning style and GPA was only positive with the individual learning style and negative with the group learning style.

CONCLUSION

These findings support the notion that the total learning environment affects students' learning styles and suggest several courses of action for students, teachers, and policymakers.

A Multi-Center Comparison of Orthopaedic Attending and Resident Learning Styles

OBJECTIVE

Effective education of orthopedic residents requires an understanding of how they process information. To date however no literature has described resident learning styles based on the updated Kolb Learning Style Inventory (KLSI) v4.0. The purpose of this study is to identify common learning styles amongst orthopedic residents and attendings and evaluate the effect that race, gender, and resident/attending status have on learning styles.

DESIGN

The KLSI v4.0 and a demographic survey were distributed to 103 orthopedic attendings and residents at two academic centers during the 2019 to 2020 academic year. Frequencies and descriptive statistics were reported. Learning styles based on gender, race, attending versus resident status, and institution were evaluated. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

SETTING

This is a multi-center study performed at two academic, university based orthopedic surgery departments.

PARTICIPANTS

Orthopaedic surgery residents and attending surgeons.

RESULTS

At both institutions, the combined response rate for the KLSI v4.0 was 66% and 68% for the demographic surgery. The three most common learning styles recorded were: Deciding (26.5%), Acting (17.6%), and Thinking (17.6%). Learning styles were compared by gender, race, attending and/or resident status, and institution with no statistically significant difference found between any of the comparisons (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The majority of orthopedic surgeons have Deciding, Acting, or Thinking learning styles, which are categorized by motivation to achieve goals, disciplined and logical reasoning, and the use of theories and models to solve problems. However, not all residents and attendings utilize these common learning styles. A mismatch in learning styles between residents and attendings could result in poor educational experiences. Understanding the learning styles of orthopedic surgeons has implications for improving evaluation interpretation, mentorship pairing, quality of life, and resident remediation.

Preferred Learning Styles of Dental Students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: Bridging the Gender Gap

PURPOSE

Currently, the dental education system in Saudi Arabia is gender segregated. It is important to find out whether teaching methods must be altered to improve the learning experience for both genders throughout their years of study. This study aims to investigate the preferred learning styles for males and females studying dentistry at Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia and the effect of academic level on the learning style preference.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey composed of the visual, aural, read/write, kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire was distributed to 228 undergraduate dental students at Taibah University through emails during September/October 2020. Student learning styles were presented using descriptive statistics. Learning preferences between genders and academic years were compared using independent proportional t-test and Chi-square test.

RESULTS

A total of 168 dental students completed the questionnaire. Both genders displayed a higher percentage of a unimodal learning preference (60% males, 50% females) with 41% of males preferring the kinesthetic learning style, followed by the aural (26%) then the visual (20%), and lastly read/write learning style (12.6%). Female students preferred the kinesthetic learning style (42%), followed by the visual (27%) then the aural (20%), and lastly read/write learning style (11%). All students throughout the 6 academic years preferred the unimodal learning approach with the kinesthetic style favored. The quadmodal was preferred mostly by interns.

CONCLUSION

Both male and female students studying dentistry at Taibah University had a unimodal learning preference. Quadmodal learning was popular among interns. Both genders preferred the kinesthetic learning style, followed by the aural for males and visual for females. Teaching methods must be tailored to suit the learning style of each gender to promote motivation and thriving for a successful outcome.

Impact of learning-style-based education on student performance and perception in preclinical endodontics

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

This study sought to assess the predominant learning mode of second-year dental students, investigate the possible relationship between learning mode, age, and gender, and evaluate if there are quantitative and qualitative differences in predoctoral endodontic lab performance/student perception when learning-mode-specific materials are provided.

METHODS

Study participants were 101 dental students from Marquette University. Student learning mode was derived from the Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) 4.0 and students were assigned to one of three groups: (1) learning-mode-aligned supplemental material, (2) unaligned supplemental material, or (3) no supplemental material. Performance on non-surgical root canal treatment of typodont tooth #9 was collected over two lab exercises, with supplemental material provided in between exercises. Students responded to a satisfaction survey at the study's conclusion. The responses for three groups of learning mode were compared using analysis of variance for continuous numeric variables followed by Bonferroni test for multiple comparison. Categorical variables were compared using chi square and/or Fisher exact tests.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference between learning modes (p < 0.001). No association was found between gender or age and learning mode preference. Comparing score change between lab exercises, mean score improvement was highest for Group 1 (p < 0.05). While all students valued receiving supplemental learning materials, students provided with aligned materials reported statistically significantly higher perception of the materials' role in their improved performance/heightened understanding.

CONCLUSION

Providing supplemental material aligned with students' learning mode significantly improved their learning experience objectively and subjectively.

Self-directed learning readiness and learning styles among Omani nursing students: Implications for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic compelled many academic institutions to resort to distance learning and online education, requiring a higher degree of student self-direction and motivation to learn. This study explored self-directed learning (SDL) readiness among nursing students in Oman, their learning styles (LS), and the association of demographic variables and LS with SDL.

METHODS

The study, which followed a descriptive, cross-sectional design, surveyed 236 Omani nursing students via an online questionnaire containing two standardized scales: the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale for Nursing Education and the Learning Style Scales.

RESULTS

Nursing students were identified as having a low level of SDL (mean = 149.58). Probation status (β = -0.165; p = 0.021) was negatively associated with SDL. In terms of LS, solitary (β = 0.217; p = 0.001), competitive (β = 0.201; p = 0.005), imaginative (β = 0.19; p = 0.012), and perceptive LS (β = 0.437; p = 0.0) were positively associated with SDL. An analytical LS was negatively associated with SDL (β = -0.155; p = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

Academic probation status and an analytical LS both yielded lower SDL scores. Perceptive, solitary, competitive, or imaginative learners tended to have higher SDL scores. Deliberate planning and strategies are necessary to help probation students cope with academic demands, especially with the advent of intensified digital education. Because no single learning environment can fulfill the needs of every LS, nurse educators must implement SDL-aimed teaching and learning strategies that appeal to a variety of learners.

Influence of Personality Traits and Learning Styles on Undergraduate Medical Students' Academic Achievement

PURPOSE

Learning focus has shifted from conventional teacher-centered to student-centered; therefore, methods used to support and encourage learners must be considered. Meanwhile, the individual differences between learners should be taken into consideration by medical educators. Aiming to achieve a better learning experience, the current study investigates the relationship between personality traits and learning styles and their effect on students' academic achievement.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

An analytical, cross-sectional study, encompassing a sample of 333 undergraduate first-year medical students, at the Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University in Egypt was conducted. The Big Five personality traits test and VARK learning styles questionnaires were used to assess students' personality traits and learning styles, respectively, in the medical education module which is a part of the Foundation II module. The former is five weeks' duration and is followed by a summative exam at the end. Students' academic achievement was determined from their grades in Foundation II module by the end of the semester.

RESULTS

Study findings generally indicate that the highest domain of learning styles among students is the kinesthetic domain. A statistically significant difference between males and females regarding their learning style preferences was detected. Also, there was a statistically significant relationship between auditory and kinesthetic learning styles and academic achievement. Though there was a significant relationship between kinesthetic learning style with both openness traits and academic achievement, no significant statistical relationship was found between any of the personality traits and academic achievement.

CONCLUSION

This study concludes that learning style could affect students' academic achievement. It reveals that the kinesthetic learning style is the most preferred learning style among our medical students, also the agreeableness and openness traits were the most common personality traits among them. No significant relationship was detected between personality traits and academic achievement.

Examining Learning Styles with Gender Comparison Among Medical Students of a Saudi University

AIM

Different students use different learning styles and acquire knowledge from various sources during their medical college learning journey. Every student has a preference for a certain sensory mode to receive and process all acquired information. Identifying learning styles among different students can help students try to strengthen their preferred learning style and improve other nonpreferred learning styles. Our objective is to assess the preferred sensory modality and the learning preferences by utilizing the VARK questionnaire in medical faculty students at Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Islamic University (IMBSU) and the influence of gender and its relation to academic achievements.

METHODOLOGY

A survey was distributed to medical students of IMBSU in Riyadh. VARK questionnaire was used to assess the learning preference. Other questions regarding demographic data were also included in the same questionnaire.

RESULTS

Of the 146 students, 113 students completed the questionnaire. Of them, 95 (84.1%) were males, and 18 (15.9%) were females. The multimodal learning style was preferred by 70% of the respondents, with the remaining 30% having a unimodal style preference. The aural (A) and the kinesthetic (K) styles were the most preferred unimodal styles. Overall, the most common style was the quad-modal (VARK type 2) style, with 21.20% having this preference.

CONCLUSION

No statistically significant differences were observed between male and female students concerning their learning preferences. The participants' preferred learning style or learning model was also observed to have no statistically significant impact on GPA and academic performance.

Autism and Hidden Imagination: Raising and Educating Children Who Cannot Express Their Minds

This is a reflection on an article written in 2007, entitled Autism and the Artistic Imagination: The Link between Visual Thinking and Intelligence. The author is a parent of a 6-year-old with autism who is now 19 and is non-verbal who has trouble expressing his thoughts, feelings and desires, and discusses some theories behind autism spectrum communication disorders and seeks to understand why there is so much difficulty with communication with some on the spectrum. The 2007 article employed Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory as a framework to discuss the visual and spatial learning abilities of kids with autism, and this update posits that the nonspeaking population of the autism community do indeed have different ways of understanding the world, theories of mind and awareness enough to be able to communicate if only the proper links and opportunities are provided. The lack of communication is not due to a lack of a sense of self, but of a lack of understanding of the neuro-typical community that people with autism are speaking a second language, and need help with the translation.

The RITE of Passage: Learning Styles and Residency In-Service Training Examination (RITE) Scores

Introduction

The objective of the pilot study was to determine the association between learning preferences and improvement in the American Academy of Neurology Residency In-Service Training Examination (RITE) scores from postgraduate year 2 (PGY-2) to postgraduate year 3 (PGY-3) in neurology residents.

Methods

Neurology residents at the University of Florida were approached to participate, and their consent was obtained. VARK inventory, representing four modalities (visual, aural, read/write, kinesthetic) of learning preferences, was completed by participants. Participants could pick more than one modality. The number of responses in each sensory domain was recorded, with higher numbers indicating stronger preference. Residents’ performance on the RITE was recorded for PGY-2 and PGY-3.

Results

Seventeen residents completed the VARK inventory and 16 had data for RITE. Residents demonstrated overall positive change in RITE from PGY-2 to PGY-3 (mean change = 6%; 95%CI: 4%, 9%). The median number of responses was highest for the kinesthetic domain (median = 7, range = 1-12), followed by visual (median = 6, range = 2-12), aural (median = 4, range = 1-10), and read/write (median = 4, range = 1-10). Among VARK domains, the number of responses in read/write had the strongest correlation with mean change in RITE performance from PGY-2 to PGY-3 (r = 0.45; 95%CI: -0.08, 0.78); residents in the high read/write group (number of response above median) had greater mean change in RITE performance (9%; 95%CI: 6%, 12%) while those in the low read/write group showed little to no increase in RITE from PGY-2 to PGY-3 (2%; 95%CI: -1%, 6%).

Conclusions

Higher VARK survey responses in the read/write domain were related to greater change in RITE scores from PGY-2 to PGY-3. These findings seem intuitively obvious considering the format of the RITE. These pilot data permit further investigation of individual resident learning preference and how it relates to test performance. By understanding a resident’s learning style, both educators and the resident will have an awareness of areas that need to be improved to be successful, which may be via remedial curricula and self-study activities.

Case-Based e-Learning Experiences of Second-Year Veterinary Students in a Clinical Medicine Course at the Ontario Veterinary College

Exposure to real-life clinical cases has been regarded as the optimal method of achieving deep learning in medical education. Case-based e-learning (CBEL) has been considered a promising alterative to address challenges in the availability of teaching cases and standardizing case exposure. While the use of CBEL has been positive in veterinary medical education, insight into students' learning experience with a CBEL tool have not been considered. This article investigates students' views around the utility and usability of a CBEL tool, as well as perceived effectiveness, clinical confidence, and impact of veterinary students' learning preferences on CBEL use. Through focus groups as well as pre- and post-use questionnaires, students expressed that the design and utility of the online cases, including their authenticity, played an instrumental role in perspectives and acceptance of the CBEL tool. Students perceived the CBEL tool as highly effective in both achieving CBEL outcomes and teaching a methodical approach to a clinical case. CBEL elements were also perceived to potentially contribute to increased clinical confidence after CBEL use. Additionally, exploration of students' preferred approach to learning revealed that hands-on learners and those who prefer to learn by practicing and applying knowledge were more likely to show positive perceptions of a CBEL tool. This article's findings can help guide educators in the future design and implementation of online cases in various capacities and provide a platform for further exploration of the effectiveness and use of CBEL in veterinary medical education.

The Hexaco-60, the Dark Triad and Scholastic Cheating

Previous studies have found inconsistent results regarding the personality predictors of scholastic cheating. This study investigated whether personality was a predictor of scholastic cheating using the HEXACO-60 personality inventory and the Dark Triad (DT). A sample of 252 students completed the online questionnaire. Results from a one-way ANOVA showed that scholastic cheating was more common in associate degree/diploma/foundation students and undergraduate students than postgraduate students. Year of study or student status (local or international students) had no effect on scholastic cheating. MANOVA showed that academic qualification, year of study, and student status had no effect on reasons for cheating. A structural equation model (SEM) found that scholastic cheating was positively predicted by unmitigated achievement and psychopathy. Psychopathy emerged as the strongest significant predictor of scholastic cheating. These results supported the view that dark personality is relevant for understanding scholastic cheating.

Changes in the learning styles and approaches of students following incorporation of drawing during cadaveric dissection

The teaching of anatomy is challenging due to the constraints of material and personnel resources. Research has established that the learning preferences of students are malleable and determined by the requirements of the course. Further, drawing has been reported to aid learning in anatomy by facilitating problem solving and reducing the cognitive overload in students. Considering these issues, the aims of the study were to investigate (a) if positive changes occur in the learning styles and approaches following the incorporation of drawing during cadaveric dissection, and (b) whether they are associated with improved learning outcomes. One cohort of students in an anatomy course received training in creating scientific drawings from dissected human cadavers, while two cohorts of students did not receive such training. The learning preferences of students and their final examination grades were assessed at the commencement and conclusion of the course. Majority of student who had training in drawing transitioned from being bimodal, to trimodal or quadrimodal learners. This was associated with efficient learning approaches and a significant (p < .05) improvement in learning outcomes in these students. There were no changes in any parameters in students who had not received training in drawing. Therefore, the modulation of learning preferences of students through drawing is a pragmatic approach in anatomy teaching.

A comparison of learning styles of undergraduate health-care professional students at the beginning, middle, and end of the educational course over a 4-year study period (2015-2018)

BACKGROUND AND AIM

There is a growing interest in learning styles of undergraduate health-care professional students; however, the evidences about learning styles over time during undergraduate programs are rare. In this study, the learning styles of undergraduate health-care professional students from the beginning to the completion of the program were examined to determine changes in learning style over time.

METHODOLOGY

This is a longitudinal descriptive study from 2015 to 2018. A total of 101 health-care professional students were selected by census method. Learning styles were evaluated using the Perceptual Learning-Style Preference Questionnaire three times in the study at the beginning (T1), the middle (T2), and the end of the educational course (T3). The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.

RESULTS

In T1, auditory (mean = 13.99) and visual (mean = 13.54) styles were preferred as major learning styles, whereas at T2, visual style (mean = 13.6) was the only preferred major learning style. At T3, the major learning styles were kinesthetic (mean = 14.32), tactile (mean = 13.98), and visual (mean = 13.58). There were statistically significant differences in auditory, kinesthetic, tactile and group scale scores between the three time points (P < 0.05). Group learning style was in the negative type at all three time points.

CONCLUSIONS

Learning styles can change depending on the context, environment, teaching method, and the subject of learning material and are probably a flexible changing feature rather than a fixed inherent feature a student possesses.

Comparison of the Conceptual Map and Traditional Lecture Methods on Students' Learning Based on the VARK Learning Style Model: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Developing skills and knowledge in nursing education remains a considerable challenge. Nurse instructors need to be aware of students’ learning styles so as to meet students’ individual learning preferences and optimize knowledge and understanding. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of the conceptual map and the traditional lecture methods on students’ learning based on the VARK learning styles model. In this randomized controlled trial, 160 students from nursing, nurse anesthetics, and midwifery disciplines with four different learning styles of visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic were selected using the convenience sampling method. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (conceptual map method) or control (traditional lecture method) groups. A medical-surgical nursing course was taught to the students in both groups over 6 weeks. Data collection tools consisted of the VARK questionnaire and pre- and postassessments. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via the SPSS software. Teaching using the conceptual map method had different effects on the students’ learning outcomes based on their learning styles. The conceptual map method had a statistically significant impact on the students’ learning in the intervention group compared with the control group in the students with a visual learning style (p = .036). No statistically significant differences were reported between the groups in other three learning styles. Nurse instructors should assess students’ learning styles based on the VARK model before the application of a particular teaching method to improve the quality of nursing education and facilitate deeper learning.

The Relationship between Psychological Well-Being and Psychosocial Factors in University Students

Determining what factors influence the psychological well-being of undergraduate university students may provide valuable information to inform the development of intervention programs and targeted learning activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between psychological well-being in university students and their self-reported learning styles and methodologies, social skills, emotional intelligence, anxiety, empathy and self-concept. The final sample consisted of 149 Spanish university students, with an average age of 21.59 years (SD = 4.64). Psychological well-being dimensions, along with learning style and methodology preferences, social skills, level of social responsibility, emotional intelligence, state and trait anxiety, empathy and levels of self-concept were measured using a series of validated self-report scales. The results indicate that the total variance explained by the university students' psychological well-being factors were as follows: i) self-acceptance dimension (R² = 0.586, F(6,99) = 23.335, p < 0.001); ii) positive relationships dimension (R² = 0.520, F(6,99) = 17.874, p < 0.001); iii) autonomy dimension (R² = 0.313, F(4,101) = 11.525, p < 0.001); iv) environmental mastery dimension (R² = 0.489, F(4,101) = 24.139, p < 0.001); v) personal growth dimension (R² = 0.354, F(4,101) = 13.838, p < 0.001); and vi) purpose-in-life dimension (R² = 0.439, F(4,101) = 19.786, p < 0.001). The study findings may be used to inform new educational policies and interventions aimed at improving the psychological well-being of university students in the international context.

Providing Instruction Based on Students' Learning Style Preferences Does Not Improve Learning

Teachers commonly categorize students as visual or auditory learners. Despite a lack of empirical evidence, teaching to a student’s perceived learning style remains common practice in education (Pashler et al., 2009). Having conducted an extensive review of the literature, Pashler et al. (2009) noted, “...very few studies have even used an experimental methodology capable of testing the validity of learning styles applied to education” (p. 105). Rogowsky et al. (2015) published the first study following the experimental design prescribed by Pashler et al. Focusing specifically on the visual/auditory dichotomy, Rogowsky et al. (2015) examined the extent to which learning style predicts comprehension and retention based on mode of instruction. Their study has been noted as “The only study located through the systematic literature search across six different databases and the screening of more than 1000 records that was totally aligned with Pashler’s criteria” (Aslaksen and Loras, 2018, p. 3). The caveat to the 2015 study is that it was conducted with adult learners. The current study uses the same design and methodology as its predecessor, but on a school-aged population, making it the first of its kind. Consistent with earlier findings with adults, results failed to find a significant relationship between auditory or visual learning style preference and comprehension. Fifth graders with a visual learning style scored higher than those with an auditory learning style on listening and reading comprehension measures. As such, and counter to current educational beliefs and practices, teachers may actually be doing a disservice to students by using resources to determine their learning style and then tailoring the curriculum to match that learning style.

Impact of social and psychological factors on academic achievement of university students

Aim To examine the correlation between personality traits, learning styles, and academic achievement and a difference between students' gender, residency status and academic achievement. Methods The study included 95 students of first year of the School of Medicine, University of Sarajevo. The survey used the sociodemographic questionnaire, Index of Learning Style and Big Five Inventory. Academic achievement was represented by a cumulative grade point of each student. Results There was significant difference between the students' gender, information processing style, i.e. active/reflective learning style and academic achievement. Academic achievement was correlated with extraversion (negatively), conscientiousness and active/reflexive learning style. Conclusion With this study we wanted to improve awareness of teachers about the importance and use of different styles during lecture, to show the importance of students knowing their own preferences and learning styles, and how personality traits can affect students' academic achievement. Academic performance is an important outcome for students. It can increase motivation, student participation in class and wish to volunteer in different activities.

Are adverse events in newly trained home dialysis patients related to learning styles? A single-centre retrospective study from Toronto, Canada

OBJECTIVES

Home haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) have seen growth in utilisation around the globe over the last few years. However, home dialysis, with its attendant technical complexity and risk of adverse events continues to pose challenges for wider adoption. We examined whether differences in patients' learning styles are associated with differing risk of adverse events in both home HD and PD patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary care hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred and eighteen prevalent adult (≥18 years) home dialysis patients (40 PD and 78 home HD) were enrolled. Patients on home dialysis for less than 6 months or receiving home nursing assistance for dialysis were excluded from the study.

INTERVENTIONS

Enrolled patients completed (VARK) Visual, Aural, Reading-writing and Kinesthetic questionnaires to determine learning styles.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Home HD and PD adverse events were identified within 6 months of completing home dialysis training. Event rates were then stratified and compared according to learning styles.

RESULTS

Thirty patients had a total of 53 adverse events. We used logistic regression analysis to determine unadjusted and adjusted ORs for a single adverse event. Non-visual learners were 4.35 times more likely to have an adverse event (p=0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, dialysis modality, training duration, dialysis vintage, prior renal replacement therapy, visual impairment, education and literacy, an adverse event was still four times more likely among non-visual learners compared to visual learners (p=0.008). A subgroup analysis of home HD patients showed adverse events were more likely among non-visual learners (OR 11.1; p=0.003), whereas PD patients showed a trend for more adverse events in non-visual learners (OR: 1.60; p=0.694).

CONCLUSIONS

Different learning styles in home dialysis patients exist. Visual learning styles are associated with fewer adverse events in home dialysis patients within the first 6 months of completing training. Individualisation of home dialysis training by learning style is warranted.

Learning Styles Determine Different Immigrant Students' Results in Testing Settings: Relationship Between Nationality of Children and the Stimuli of Tasks

BACKGROUND

Literature presents little examination on the learning styles and sensorial preferences of immigrants during decoding of different tasks in testing contexts.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, non-native children (between 2nd and 12th grade) were divided into six groups determined by country of origin and examined on different stimuli, visual and auditory, associated with four tasks that measure cognitive and linguistic specific abilities.

RESULTS

The multivariate analysis confirmed that the children's nationality significantly explained achievement variability regarding picture recognition and auditory discrimination. η² values indicated that there were moderate to larger effects for the nationality as a factor that explains the variance of performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that tasks' stimuli can effectively assess and differentiate specific young minority groups in order to understand their actual level of preparation and their needs for further learning. The listening input, on the one hand, should be established as the main differentiator for all groups at the time of school entry, but, on the other hand, it should be avoided in Asian groups and Eastern European students during the first stages of second language (L2) learning in European contexts with romance languages as the target learning.

Impact of Virtual Learning Environment on Students' Satisfaction, Engagement, Recall, and Retention

BACKGROUND

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) were introduced to progress students from passive to active learners. Active learning promotes the critical thinking skills essential for the transfer/use of classroom-acquired knowledge into the clinical setting. A VLE forms an increasingly vital component of clinical skills development in a range of disciplines.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A randomized control trial was conducted with students randomly attending one of two teaching sessions about radiation therapy. Both sessions were identical except a VLE was used in the second talk with the first being solely didactic. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed. Two weeks after the talks, participants were required to complete the same knowledge questionnaire to determine retention. Mann-Whitney, means, standard deviations, and chi-squared tests were used according to data characteristics. Qualitative data (open-ended questions) were analysed thematically.

RESULTS

Virtual learning seemed to significantly improve students' satisfaction/engagement and recall. A total of 40 students attended the teaching sessions. The student group taught using the VLE had higher mean scores for retention than the didactic group; however, this was not statistically significant. Use of VLEs was associated with greater satisfaction/engagement than didactic information (P = .003). Students' learning styles seemed to have no effect on their satisfaction/engagement and ease of learning. Three key themes emerged from the qualitative data: (1) the visuals were good/helpful, (2) the talk was informative, and (3) more details/visuals were required.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The key findings from this study suggest that there is a role for VLEs in the teaching of students. There is a need for the introduction of advanced technology into health care education as virtual reality, such as Virtual Environment of Radiotherapy, has shown improvement in students' satisfaction, engagement, and recall. Whether VLEs qualify students better than conventional didactic teaching is still undetermined, but these first results are encouraging.

Learning Styles in Pathology: A Comparative Analysis and Implications for Learner-Centered Education

Initiatives like “American Medical Association (AMA)-Reimagining Residency” and “Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-Next Accreditation System” are examples of a paradigm shift toward learner-centered pedagogy in resident education. Such interventions require an understanding of the basics of the learning process itself. This study aimed to identify preferred learning styles in pathology with the intent to use specialty-specific pattern data, if any, to improve pathology training modalities. Kolb’s learning tool questionnaire was sent to pathology-inclined medical students, pathology residents, fellows, and faculty in 5 academic programs. Data from 84 respondents (6 students, 37 residents, 12 fellows, 29 attendings) were analyzed. There was remarkable similarity in learning styles of fellows and faculty, revealing a dominance of observational learning styles (“assimilating” and “diverging”) that was consistent with pathology being a visual field. In contrast, residents showed dominance of “learn by doing” styles (“converging” and “accommodating”). Residents’ stratification by training year showed a scattered distribution with an upward trend toward “learn by doing” behavior. While the difference in styles between residents and faculty/fellows may be due to a generational gap, transition from medical school, or acquisition of technical skills required for grossing specimens, this is an opportunity for adopting blended learning models and active learning processes to cater to residents’ different styles and to allow for flexibility to use all styles as and when needed. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that partnering juniors and seniors with similar styles has a potential for successful mentorship and exploration of other psychometrics is recommended for further understanding and improvement of pathology training.

Classification of Visual and Non-visual Learners Using Electroencephalographic Alpha and Gamma Activities

This study analyzes the learning styles of subjects based on their electroencephalo-graphy (EEG) signals. The goal is to identify how the EEG features of a visual learner differ from those of a non-visual learner. The idea is to measure the students' EEGs during the resting states (eyes open and eyes closed conditions) and when performing learning tasks. For this purpose, 34 healthy subjects are recruited. The subjects have no background knowledge of the animated learning content. The subjects are shown the animated learning content in a video format. The experiment consists of two sessions and each session comprises two parts: (1) Learning task: the subjects are shown the animated learning content for an 8-10 min duration. (2) Memory retrieval task The EEG signals are measured during the leaning task and memory retrieval task in two sessions. The retention time for the first session was 30 min, and 2 months for the second session. The analysis is performed for the EEG measured during the memory retrieval tasks. The study characterizes and differentiates the visual learners from the non-visual learners considering the extracted EEG features, such as the power spectral density (PSD), power spectral entropy (PSE), and discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The PSD and DWT features are analyzed. The EEG PSD and DWT features are computed for the recorded EEG in the alpha and gamma frequency bands over 128 scalp sites. The alpha and gamma frequency band for frontal, occipital, and parietal regions are analyzed as these regions are activated during learning. The extracted PSD and DWT features are then reduced to 8 and 15 optimum features using principal component analysis (PCA). The optimum features are then used as an input to the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classifier using the Mahalanobis distance metric, with 10-fold cross validation and support vector machine (SVM) classifier using linear kernel, with 10-fold cross validation. The classification results showed 97% and 94% accuracies rate for the first session and 96% and 93% accuracies for the second session in the alpha and gamma bands for the visual learners and non-visual learners, respectively, for k-NN classifier for PSD features and 68% and 100% accuracies rate for first session and 100% accuracies rate for second session for DWT features using k-NN classifier for the second session in the alpha and gamma band. For PSD features 97% and 96% accuracies rate for the first session, 100% and 95% accuracies rate for second session using SVM classifier and 79% and 82% accuracy for first session and 56% and 74% accuracy for second session for DWT features using SVM classifier. The results showed that the PSDs in the alpha and gamma bands represent distinct and stable EEG signatures for visual learners and non-visual learners during the retrieval of the learned contents.

Another Nail in the Coffin for Learning Styles? Disparities among Undergraduate Anatomy Students' Study Strategies, Class Performance, and Reported VARK Learning Styles

The concept and existence of learning styles has been fraught with controversy, and recent studies have thrown their existence into doubt. Yet, many students still hold to the conventional wisdom that learning styles are legitimate, and may adapt their outside of class study strategies to match these learning styles. Thus, this study aims to assess if undergraduate anatomy students are more likely to utilize study strategies that align with their hypothetical learning styles (using the VARK analysis from Fleming and Mills, , Improve Acad. 11:137-155) and, if so, does this alignment correlate with their outcome in an anatomy course. Relatedly, this study examines whether students' VARK learning styles are correlated with course outcomes regardless of the students' study strategies, and whether any study strategies are correlated with course outcomes, regardless of student-specific VARK results. A total of 426 anatomy students from the 2015 and 2016 Fall semesters completed a study strategies survey and an online VARK questionnaire. Results demonstrated that most students did not report study strategies that correlated with their VARK assessment, and that student performance in anatomy was not correlated with their score in any VARK categories. Rather, some specific study strategies (irrespective of VARK results), such as use of the virtual microscope, were found to be positively correlated with final class grade. However, the alignment of these study strategies with VARK results had no correlation with anatomy course outcomes. Thus, this research provides further evidence that the conventional wisdom about learning styles should be rejected by educators and students alike. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.

Learning styles among first professional northern and central India medical students during digitization

BACKGROUND

Learning style is an individual's natural or habitual pattern of acquiring and processing information in learning situations. Different sensory modalities are used by different types of medical students for assimilating the knowledge and information. Currently, the usage of electronic tools for teaching is widespread that can influence learning styles.

METHODS

The purpose of this study was to know the pattern of learners among first- and second-year medical students from different institutions in India. For this purpose, we have used latest English Version 7.0 of the Visual-Aural-Read/write-Kinesthetic.

RESULTS

Analysis was carried out using the IBM SPSS Version 21 software. Numerical variables were summarized by mean and SD or median and IQR as appropriate. Differences in scores among Visual-Aural-Read/write-Kinesthetic-learning styles were tested by Friedman's test with post hoc pair wise comparison. Pattern of learning styles was different, and it was statistically significant (P<0.001). In this study, aural (median score 6) and kinesthetic (median score 6) styles were preferred. Pair-wise comparisons revealed that each style was different from each other except kinesthetic and aural.

CONCLUSION

Results of the study suggest that to improve learning, one should try to use multimodal styles with special emphasis given to auditory and kinesthetic modes especially among first professionals in medical education during digitization.

The Modality-Specific Learning Style Hypothesis: A Mini-Review

The impact on learning outcome of tailoring instruction and teaching toward modality-specific learning style preferences has been researched and debated for decades. Several topical reviews have concluded that there is no evidence to support the meshing hypothesis and that it represents a persistent neuromyth in education. The concept, however, is still utilized in educational practice and favored by many academics. This mini-review presents literature, which has applied explicit and rigorous methodological criteria, in relation to the meshing hypothesis. In order to demonstrate evidence for the meshing hypothesis, studies had to screen participants for their preferred learning style, assign participants to matched or non-matched conditions, and then provide the same test to assess learning for all participants, as well as presenting statistical crossover-interaction effects. Across studies that have applied these methodological criteria, the overall effect sizes were very low and non-significant, indicating that there is still no replicable statistical evidence for enhanced learning outcome by aligning instruction to modality-specific learning styles.

Students' learning style detection using tree augmented naive Bayes

Students are characterized according to their own distinct learning styles. Discovering students' learning style is significant in the educational system in order to provide adaptivity. Past researches have proposed various approaches to detect the students' learning styles. Among all, the Bayesian network has emerged as a widely used method to automatically detect students' learning styles. On the other hand, tree augmented naive Bayesian network has the ability to improve the naive Bayesian network in terms of better classification accuracy. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of the tree augmented naive Bayesian in automatically detecting students' learning style in the online learning environment. The experimental results are promising as the tree augmented naive Bayes network is shown to achieve higher detection accuracy when compared to the Bayesian network.

What type of learner are your students? Preferred learning styles of undergraduate gross anatomy students according to the index of learning styles questionnaire

Students learn and process information in many different ways. Learning styles are useful as they allow instructors to learn more about students, as well as aid in the development and application of useful teaching approaches and techniques. At the undergraduate level there is a noticeable lack of research on learning style preferences of students enrolled in gross anatomy courses. The Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire was administered to students enrolled in a large enrollment undergraduate gross anatomy course with laboratory to determine their preferred learning styles. The predominant preferred learning styles of the students (n = 505) enrolled in the gross anatomy course were active (54.9%), sensing (85.1%), visual (81.2%), and sequential (74.4%). Preferred learning styles profiles of particular majors enrolled in the course were also constructed; analyses showed minor variation in the active/reflective dimension. An understanding of students' preferred learning styles can guide course design but it should not be implemented in isolation. It can be strengthened (or weakened) by concurrent use of other tools (e.g., flipped classroom course design). Based on the preferred learning styles of the majority of undergraduate students in this particular gross anatomy course, course activities can be hands on (i.e., active), grounded in concrete information (i.e., sensing), utilize visual representation such as images, figures, models, etc. (i.e., visual), and move in small incremental steps that build on each topic (i.e., sequential). Anat Sci Educ 11: 358-365. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

The Prevalence of Pseudoscientific Ideas and Neuromyths Among Sports Coaches

There has been an exponential growth in research examining the neurological basis of human cognition and learning. Little is known, however, about the extent to which sports coaches are aware of these advances. Consequently, the aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence of pseudoscientific ideas among British and Irish sports coaches. In total, 545 coaches from the United Kingdom and Ireland completed a measure that included questions about how evidence-based theories of the brain might enhance coaching and learning, how they were exposed to these different theories, and their awareness of neuromyths. Results revealed that the coaches believed that an enhanced understanding of the brain helped with their planning and delivery of sports sessions. Goal-setting was the most frequently used strategy. Interestingly, 41.6% of the coaches agreed with statements that promoted neuromyths. The most prevalent neuromyth was "individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g., auditory, visual, or kinesthetic)," which 62% of coaches believed. It is apparent that a relatively large percentage of coaches base aspects of their coaching practice on neuromyths and other pseudoscientific ideas. Strategies for addressing this situation are briefly discussed and include changing the content of coach education programs.

How preferred learning approaches change with time: a survey of GPs and GP Specialist Trainees

Background The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) questionnaire assesses whether learners prefer a deep, strategic or surface approach to learning. This study aimed to establish the effect of time since qualification, gender and work role on ASSIST scores of General Practitioners (GPs) and GP Specialist Trainees (GPSTs). Methods An anonymous online questionnaire with demographic questions and the ASSIST survey was completed by 1005 GPs and GPSTs from across the United Kingdom. Results Of the 544 GPs and 461 GPSTs completing the survey, 96.5% preferred a deep and/or strategic approach to learning. There was a significant increase in the preference for a deep approach with time from graduation and significantly less preference for a surface approach. There was no significant change in any of the scores over the GPST years. Men had significantly higher scores for a deep approach than women. Conclusions GPs and GPSTs prefer deep and strategic approaches to a surface approach. While higher levels of GP experience are associated with a higher deep approach score and a lower surface approach score, this change is not seen during progression through GP training. Men have higher scores for a deep approach than women.

Learning style preferences of dental students at a single institution in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, evaluated using the VARK questionnaire

BACKGROUND

Students differ in their preferred methods of acquiring, processing, and recalling new information. The aim of this study was to investigate the learning style preferences of undergraduate dental students and examine the influence of gender, Grade Point Average (GPA), and academic year levels on these preferences.

METHODS

The Arabic version of the visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire was administered to 491 students from the first- to the fifth-year academic classes at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the learning styles of the students, and Chi-square test and Fisher's test were used to compare the learning preferences between genders and among academic years. Significance was set at a p-value of <0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 368 dental students completed the questionnaire. The multimodal learning style was preferred by 63.04% of the respondents, with the remaining 36% having a unimodal style preference. The aural (A) and the kinesthetic (K) styles were the most preferred unimodal styles. The most common style overall was the quadmodal (VARK) style with 23.64% having this preference. These differences did not reach statistical significance (p>0.05). Females were more likely to prefer a bimodal learning style over a unimodal style (relative risk =2.37). Students with a GPA of "C" were less likely to have a bimodal or a quadmodal style preference compared to students with a GPA of "A" (relative risk =0.34 and 0.36, respectively). Second-year students were less likely to prefer a bimodal over a unimodal style compared to first-year students (relative risk =0.34).

CONCLUSION

The quadmodal VARK style is the preferred learning method chosen by dental students, followed by unimodal aural and kinesthetic styles. Gender was found to influence learning style preferences. Students with a "C" GPA tend to prefer unimodal learning style preferences. The VARK questionnaire is a relatively quick and simple tool to reveal the learning style preferences on an individual or a group level. Dental educators should adjust their delivery methods to approximate the learning preferences of their students. Dental students are encouraged to adapt a multimodal style of learning to improve their academic results.

Culture and its influences on dental education

INTRODUCTION

Culture is an important factor influencing how students develop learning and how educators provide support to students. The aim of this paper is to explore a concept of national European cultures, and relationships between culture and educational practice with the intention of helping the dental profession gain a better understanding of effective teaching and learning in dentistry.

CONTENT

Culture represents the collective behaviours, values and beliefs of people in a society. How people react to education is partly explained by culture. Students utilise different culturally based strategies to develop learning. We apply Hofstede's model to explore European cultures and implications for dental education and educational practice. Most Western students possess assimilating learning styles enabling them to learn effectively in student-centred contexts while most Eastern students have accommodating learning styles and are more familiar with teacher-centred learning. Eastern students may need to adapt their approach to learning to better benefit from student-centred learning.

CONCLUSION

Culture influences students' learning and educational practice. Dental educators should be aware of such influences and provide support that acknowledges students' different cultural backgrounds. Cultural competence is fundamental for effective teaching and learning in dentistry.

Promoting mastery of complex biological mechanisms

This article describes efforts aimed at improving comprehension and retention of complex molecular mechanisms commonly studied in undergraduate biology and biochemistry courses. The focus is on the design of appropriate assessments, an active classroom emphasizing formative practice, and more effective out-of-class study habits. Assessments that require students to articulate their understanding through writing are the most effective. Frequent formative practice improves performance on problems that require intellectual transfer, the ability to apply conceptual principles in novel settings. We show that success with such problems is a function of mastery of the intrinsic logic of the biology in play, not variations in the way they are written. Survey data demonstrate that many students would prefer a learning style not dominated by memorization of factual details, but how to develop a more effective strategy is rarely intuitive. Matching individual students with specific learning styles has not proven useful. Instead, teachers can strongly promote individual metacognitive appraisal during both classroom activities and other study environments. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(1):7-21, 2018.

Effects of Noise on English Listening Comprehension among Chinese College Students with Different Learning Styles

This study was intended to determine whether the effects of noise on English listening comprehension would vary among Chinese college students with different learning styles. A total of 89 participants with different learning styles measured using Kolb’s (1985) Learning Style Inventory finished English listening comprehension tests in quiet and in white noise, Chinese two-talker babble, and English two-talker babble respectively. The results showed that the participants in general had significantly poorer performance in the two babble conditions than in quiet and white noise. However, the participants with assimilative and divergent learning styles performed relatively better in Chinese babble, and exhibited stable performance across the three noisy conditions, while the participants with convergent and accommodative learning styles had more impaired performance in both Chinese babble and English babble than in white noise. Moreover, of Kolb’s four learning modes, reflective observation had a facilitative effect on listening performance in Chinese babble and English babble. These findings suggest that differences in learning style might lead to differential performance in foreign language listening comprehension in noise.

Identifying different learning styles to enhance the learning experience

Identifying your preferred learning style can be a useful way to optimise learning opportunities, and can help learners to recognise their strengths and areas for development in the way that learning takes place. It can also help teachers (educators) to recognise where additional activities are required to ensure the learning experience is robust and effective. There are several models available that may be used to identify learning styles. This article discusses these models and considers their usefulness in healthcare education. Models of teaching styles are also considered.

Dispelling the Myth: Training in Education or Neuroscience Decreases but Does Not Eliminate Beliefs in Neuromyths

Neuromyths are misconceptions about brain research and its application to education and learning. Previous research has shown that these myths may be quite pervasive among educators, but less is known about how these rates compare to the general public or to individuals who have more exposure to neuroscience. This study is the first to use a large sample from the United States to compare the prevalence and predictors of neuromyths among educators, the general public, and individuals with high neuroscience exposure. Neuromyth survey responses and demographics were gathered via an online survey hosted at TestMyBrain.org. We compared performance among the three groups of interest: educators (N = 598), high neuroscience exposure (N = 234), and the general public (N = 3,045) and analyzed predictors of individual differences in neuromyths performance. In an exploratory factor analysis, we found that a core group of 7 "classic" neuromyths factored together (items related to learning styles, dyslexia, the Mozart effect, the impact of sugar on attention, right-brain/left-brain learners, and using 10% of the brain). The general public endorsed the greatest number of neuromyths (M = 68%), with significantly fewer endorsed by educators (M = 56%), and still fewer endorsed by the high neuroscience exposure group (M = 46%). The two most commonly endorsed neuromyths across all groups were related to learning styles and dyslexia. More accurate performance on neuromyths was predicted by age (being younger), education (having a graduate degree), exposure to neuroscience courses, and exposure to peer-reviewed science. These findings suggest that training in education and neuroscience can help reduce but does not eliminate belief in neuromyths. We discuss the possible underlying roots of the most prevalent neuromyths and implications for classroom practice. These empirical results can be useful for developing comprehensive training modules for educators that target general misconceptions about the brain and learning.

An exploratory study of the relationship between learning styles and academic performance among students in different nursing programs

Abstract Background: Learning style is a major consideration in planning for effective and efficient instruction and learning. Learning style has been shown to influence academic performance in the previous research. Little is known about Taiwanese students' learning styles, particularly in the field of nursing education.

AIM

This purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between learning styles and academic performance among nursing students in a 5-year associate degree of nursing (ADN) program and a 2-year bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program in Taiwan.

METHODS/DESIGN

This study employed a descriptive and exploratory design. The Chinese version of the Myers-Briggs type indicator Form M was an instrument. Data such as grade point average were obtained from the Office of Academic Affairs and the Registrar computerized records. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance and chi-square statistical analysis were used to explore the relationship between academic performance and learning style in Taiwanese nursing students.

RESULTS/FINDINGS

The study sample included 285 nursing students: 96 students in a 2-year BSN program, and 189 students in a 5-year ADN program. Two common learning styles were found: Introversion, sensing, thinking, and judging; and introversion, sensing, feeling, and judging. A sensing-judging pair was identified in 43.3% of the participants. Academic performance was significantly related to learning style (p < 0.05, df = 15).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study can help educators devise classroom and clinical instructional strategies that respond to individual needs in order to maximize academic performance and enhance student success. A large sample is recommended for further research. Understanding the learning style preferences of students can enhance learning for those who are under performing in their academic studies, thereby enhancing nursing education.

Evaluation of Online Graduate Epidemiology Instruction and Student Outcomes

In the last two decades, online learning has transformed the field of higher education. Also during this time, institutions of higher education have seen increases in their adult learner populations. The flexibility and accessibility of an online education model is often particularly appealing to adult learners, who bring unique needs, expectations, and learning styles to their educational experiences. Using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory and Knowles' andragogy model as theoretical frameworks, this study evaluates an online graduate course in epidemiology in terms of the demographics, learning styles, satisfaction, and achievement of students. Comparing the online course to the same, land-based course that was offered concurrently, we found no differences between students' learning styles, satisfaction, and overall achievement. However, students in the land-based class were more likely to be matriculated into a degree program (p<0.005), more likely to be full-time students (p<0.002), and more likely to work part-time or not at all (p<0.002). These findings provide evidence that student preferences for method of content delivery are correlated to lifestyle factors and not age, previous experiences, or learning styles.

The Learning Preferences of Applicants Who Interview for General Surgery Residency: A Multiinstitutional Study

BACKGROUND

Learning styles theory posits that learners have distinct preferences for how they assimilate new information. The VARK model categorizes learners based on combinations of 4 learning preferences: visual (V), aural (A), read/write (R), and kinesthetic (K). A previous single institution study demonstrated that the VARK preferences of applicants who interview for general surgery residency are different from that of the general population and that learning preferences were associated with performance on standardized tests. This multiinstitutional study was conducted to determine the distribution of VARK preferences among interviewees for general surgery residency and the effect of those preferences on United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores.

METHODS

The VARK learning inventory was administered to applicants who interviewed at 3 general surgery programs during the 2014 to 2015 academic year. The distribution of VARK learning preferences among interviewees was compared with that of the general population of VARK respondents. Performance on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge was analyzed for associations with VARK learning preferences. Chi-square, analysis of variance, and Dunnett's test were used for statistical analysis, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The VARK inventory was completed by a total of 140 residency interviewees. Sixty-four percent of participants were male, and 41% were unimodal, having a preference for a single learning modality. The distribution of VARK preferences of interviewees was different than that of the general population (p = 0.02). By analysis of variance, there were no overall differences in USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge scores by VARK preference (p = 0.06 and 0.21, respectively). However, multiple comparison analysis using Dunnett's test revealed that interviewees with R preferences had significantly higher scores than those with multimodal preferences on USMLE Step 1 (239 vs. 222, p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Applicants who interview for general surgery residency have a different pattern of VARK preferences than that of the general population. Interviewees with preferences for read/write learning modalities have higher scores on the USMLE Step 1 than those with multimodal preferences. Learning preferences may have impact on residency applicant selection and represents a topic that warrants further investigation.

Are Surgeons Born or Made? A Comparison of Personality Traits and Learning Styles Between Surgical Trainees and Medical Students

OBJECTIVE

Medical students and surgical trainees differ considerably in both their preferential learning styles and personality traits. This study compares the personality profiles and learning styles of surgical trainees with a cohort of medical students specifically intent on pursuing a surgical career.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted contrasting surgical trainees with medical students specifying surgical career intent. The 50-item International Personality Item Pool Big-Five Factor Marker (FFM) questionnaire was used to score 5 personality domains (extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, and neuroticism). The 24-item Learning Style Inventory (LSI) Questionnaire was used to determine the preferential learning styles (visual, auditory, or tactile). χ(2) Analysis and independent samples t-test were used to compare LSI and FFM scores, respectively.

SETTING

Surgical trainees from several UK surgical centers were contrasted to undergraduate medical students.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 53 medical students who had specifically declared desire to pursue a surgical career and were currently undertaking an undergraduate intercalated degree in surgical sciences were included and contrasted to 37 UK core surgical trainees (postgraduate years 3-4).

RESULTS

The LSI questionnaire was completed by 53 students and 37 trainees. FFM questionnaire was completed by 29 medical students and 34 trainees. No significant difference for learning styles preference was detected between the 2 groups (p = 0.139), with the visual modality being the preferred learning style for both students and trainees (69.8% and 54.1%, respectively). Neuroticism was the only personality trait to differ significantly between the 2 groups, with medical students scoring significantly higher than trainees (2.9 vs. 2.6, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Medical students intent on pursuing a surgical career exhibit similar personality traits and learning styles to surgical trainees, with both groups preferring the visual learning modality. These findings facilitate future research into potential ways of improving both the training and selection of students and junior trainees onto residency programs.

Adapting to a US Medical Curriculum in Malaysia: A Qualitative Study on Cultural Dissonance in International Education

Context

Minimal research has examined the recent exportation of medical curricula to international settings. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA partnered with Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and implemented the same curriculum currently used at Johns Hopkins University to teach medical students at Perdana University. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of first-year medical students at Perdana University, focusing on issues of cultural dissonance during adaptation to a US curriculum.

Methods

In-depth semi-structured interviews with the inaugural class of first-year students (n=24) were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Two reviewers independently coded and analyzed the qualitative data for major themes.

Results

The most prominent themes identified were the transition from a “passive” to an “active” learning environment and the friendliness and openness of the professors. Students noted that “[Perdana University] is a whole new, different culture and now we are adapting to the culture.” Being vocal during classes and taking exams based on conceptual understanding and knowledge application/integration proved to be more challenging for students than having classes taught entirely in English or the amount of material covered.

Discussion

This study reinforced many cultural education theories as it revealed the major issues of Malaysian graduate students adapting to a US-style medical curriculum. Despite coming from a collectivistic, Confucian-based cultural learning background, the Malaysian students at Perdana University adopted and adapted to, and subsequently supported, the US learning expectations.

Association between learning style preferences and anatomy assessment outcomes in graduate-entry and undergraduate medical students

An improved understanding of the relationship between anatomy learning performance and approaches to learning can lead to the development of a more tailored approach to delivering anatomy teaching to medical students. This study investigated the relationship between learning style preferences, as measured by Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic (VARK) inventory style questionnaire and Honey and Mumford's learning style questionnaire (LSQ), and anatomy and clinical skills assessment performance at an Irish medical school. Additionally, mode of entry to medical school [undergraduate/direct-entry (DEM) vs. graduate-entry (GEM)], was examined in relation to individual learning style, and assessment results. The VARK and LSQ were distributed to first and second year DEM, and first year GEM students. DEM students achieved higher clinical skills marks than GEM students, but anatomy marks did not differ between each group. Several LSQ style preferences were shown to be weakly correlated with anatomy assessment performance in a program- and year-specific manner. Specifically, the "Activist" style was negatively correlated with anatomy scores in DEM Year 2 students (rs = -0.45, P = 0.002). The "Theorist" style demonstrated a weak correlation with anatomy performance in DEM Year 2 (rs = 0.18, P = 0.003). Regression analysis revealed that, among the LSQ styles, the "Activist" was associated with poorer anatomy assessment performance (P < 0.05), while improved scores were associated with students who scored highly on the VARK "Aural" modality (P < 0.05). These data support the contention that individual student learning styles contribute little to variation in academic performance in medical students. Anat Sci Educ 9: 391-399. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

VARK learning preferences and mobile anatomy software application use in pre-clinical chiropractic students

Ubiquitous smartphone ownership and reduced face-to-face teaching time may lead to students making greater use of mobile technologies in their learning. This is the first study to report on the prevalence of mobile gross anatomy software applications (apps) usage in pre-clinical chiropractic students and to ascertain if a relationship exists between preferred learning styles as determined by the validated VARK(©) questionnaire and use of mobile anatomy apps. The majority of the students who completed the VARK questionnaire were multimodal learners with kinesthetic and visual preferences. Sixty-seven percent (73/109) of students owned one or more mobile anatomy apps which were used by 57 students. Most of these students owned one to five apps and spent less than 30 minutes per week using them. Six of the top eight mobile anatomy apps owned and recommended by the students were developed by 3D4Medical. Visual learning preferences were not associated with time spent using mobile anatomy apps (OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.12-1.40). Similarly, kinesthetic learning preferences (OR = 1.88, 95% CI 0.18-20.2), quadmodal preferences (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.06-9.25), or gender (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 0.48-4.81) did not affect the time students' spent using mobile anatomy apps. Learning preferences do not appear to influence students' time spent using mobile anatomy apps. Anat Sci Educ 9: 247-254. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.